Data from: Cretaceous lophocoronids with short proboscis and retractable female genitalia provide the earliest evidence for their feeding and oviposition habits

<p>We describe two new species of Lophocoronidae: <em>Acanthocorona hedida</em> Zhang, Shih and Engel <strong>sp. n.</strong> and <em>Acanthocorona venulosa </em>Zhang, Shih and Engel <strong>sp. n.</strong>, and an undetermined specimen from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber. Phylogenetic analysis of basal lepidopteran lineages, including three extinct families, was undertaken. The analysis supported monophyly of Glossata although internal relationships remain controversial. <em>Acanthocorona </em>and <em>Lophocorona </em>form a monophyletic group. It is likely that short and simply structured proboscides of <em>Acanthocorona </em>were used to sip water droplets, pollination drops from gymnosperms, nectar from early flowers, or sap from injured leaves. Both retracted and extended ovipositors are preserved in the material reported here, revealing their morphology and indicating that these Cretaceous lophocoronids inserted eggs into the tissues of their host plants.</p>